The Luxury Spritz: Effervescent Vodka Cocktails for Outdoor Living

The vodka spritz cocktail is really easy to make, and anyone who says its difficult to make is not being truthful. The four things you require are: glass, ice, vodka and a fizzy drink. After that, everything else is just for show. While the French and Italians have been creating actually spritzes for thousands of years with wine and bitter liqueurs, we find that most of the time, they are rather thick and have got "acquired taste" written all over them. Now replace that with a light, clean vodka spritz, made with LEX by Nemiroff, and suddenly you've got something that almost everybody enjoys drinking. No herbaceous aftertaste, no bitter bite rendering it tartey, just cool, clean and refreshing bubbles which slip smoothly into your throat and encourage you to want more.

Vodka spritz cocktails work outside because they are cold, they are fizzy, and they do not make you feel like you just ate a four-course meal. Sparkling vodka cocktails have another advantage, too. Vodka does not fight with bubbles. Whiskey wants to argue with them. Gin wants to show off. Vodka just gets along. LEX by Nemiroff is especially good at this because it has this gentle, almost hidden complexity – a little bit of honey, a touch of linden flower, a finish that is clean without being boring. Add bubbles, and those notes float right up to your nose with every sip. You do not have to analyze it or write a tasting journal. You just take a drink and think, huh, that is really good.

A vodka spritz is an extremely versatile type of cocktail and as such there is really only one important point to keep in mind when making one - don't make mistakes!

First, fill a wine ge glass with enough ice, which will allow you to have "enough volume" of the drink while having plenty of ice and bubbles! When making this drink, pour your LEX by Nemiroff into the glass first, after that add your sour component – next, your sweet component and finally, add the bubbly part of your drink. After the last ingredient is added, stir gently just once or twice. If you over stir, you're going to lose all those lovely bubbles. In addition to being a delicious drink, a well-made spritz should be visually pleasing too. The best garnish will help in achieving this goal.

The ingredients of a perfect vodka spritz include:

• Large ice cubes: use large, extremely clear ice cubes as they will melt slowly and will keep your cocktail cold and will not over dilute it.
• Mix some sweet with some sour: adding honey syrup, elderflower cordial, or a little bit of fruit liqueur to your vodka will mellow out the sourness an add a touch of sweetness to the drink.
• Add carbonated beverages that will not overpower the rest of the ingredients to create the right amount of carbonation: prosecco or dry sparkling wine carbonates the drink, but does not make it sweet.
• Add something that will smell great and look pretty. That could be a ribbon of cucumber, a piece of citrus peel, or maybe some fresh herbs or an edible flower.

• Serve immediately because there is no waiting for a spritz.

LEX by Nemiroff can be enjoyed alone as the base is extremely smooth or played off of any of the other components to create an easy vodka spritz.

Refreshing vodka spritz are not fancy or original and very simple to make, based on the mixes that have proven themselves through the LEX by Nemiroff official recipes.

LEX Spritzer: Start with a big wine glass full of ice, then add 50 ml LEX by Nemiroff, 20 ml fresh lime juice, and 15 ml elderflower cordial. Top up with 100 ml of whatever dry sparkling wine you’ve opened, ideally prosecco, and stir. Garnish with a cucumber ribbon and a mint sprig.

This drink is a crowd-pleaser. Everybody loves it. Serve it to people that claim they do not like cocktail drinks and you will see their minds change.

LEX Classic Vodka Tonic: Get a highball glass, fill it with ice. Pour 50 ml of LEX by Nemiroff over the ice. Pour 100 ml of premium tonic water , stir the mixture one time. Express a strip of lime peel over the surface of the drink, and then drop it into the cocktail.

That’s about all you need to do. You don’t need too much talk about this drink. It’s completely clean, it’s cold, and it works every single time.

LEX Grapefruit Bergamot Vodka Tonic: The glass and the ice stay constant. Add 50 ml of LEX by Nemiroff, 30 ml of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, add tonic to fill. Garnish, with either slice of grapefruit or twist of bergamont.  Grapefruit will make this cocktail look brighter and taste a little different, not like fruit punch.

When having a cocktail outdoors and also wanting to maintain the upscale feeling, there are some tips for both practicality and serving a vodka spritz outside. An important tip for outdoor entertaining is to use a glass alternative that will not break if dropped on a stone or concrete patio. There are many beautiful glass alternatives now that do not have that traditional "plastic" look. You should have an ice bucket so that your guests can make their drink cold without having to go to the kitchen. You can, for example, pre-mix all non-bubbly components of your spritz in a jar or pitcher and add the sparkling water right before serving to keep the drink fizzy. Finally, offer a variety of garnishes on a tray, like grapefruit twist, cucumber ribbons, mint sprigs, and edible blossom, so your guests can personalize their own cocktail.

Fizzy vodka cocktails work well with various foods. Many of the foods people eat outside include salty snacks, such as olives and nuts, cheeses, cured meats, and fruit as well as any food containing brine or smoke. The refreshing, clean taste of a spritz made with LEX by Nemiroff will cleanse your palate between each drink, which allows each bite of food to be enjoyed as though it were the first bite.

A vodka spritz recipe is not a test of your bartending skills or your knowledge of obscure Italian apéritifs. It is just a cold, fizzy, refreshing thing to drink outside when the weather is warm and the company is good. LEX by Nemiroff makes it better because the vodka itself has enough character to be interesting but not so much that it fights with the bubbles or the citrus or the herbs. Mix one up this afternoon. Sit outside. Do not overthink it. And if someone asks for the recipe, just tell them you made it up. They will never know the difference.